Between Tours and Poitiers, where the rivers Clain and Vienne join
Result of Battle
Frankish Victory
Leader of Frankish Army
Charles Martel
Leader of Muslim Army (Umayyads)
Abdur Rahman Al Ghafiqi (Abdur Rahman)
Frankish casualties and losses
1,500 (exact number unknown)
Muslim casualties and losses
10, 000 (exact number unknown)
The Battle of Tours (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tours)
Charles and Abdur Rahman's armies routes in the battle (http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/tours.html)
Who was involved in the battle?
The Frankish army
Charles Martel led the Frankish army and his army were considered the 'superior force' in Western Europe at this time. The countries in the Frankish army included France, Western Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands but for this specific battle the army consisted of mainly Germanic warriors (Martel’s usual army) and a few men from the surrounding areas. The Islamic Army
The Muslim army also known as the Umayyad army was led by Abdur Rahman. The army was made up of soldiers from the Islamic kingdom which at the time spanned from modern day Iran, down into Saudi Arabia, across the top of North Africa and up into Spain. Abdur Rahman was not actually a General but he was the Governor of Spain and part of the ruling Caliphate (Family).
Map of France showing places like Tours and Bordeaux where the Muslims voyaged to. (http://www.travelfactfile.com/france/hotels/aquitaine.php)
What were the background reasons for the conflict?
The background reasons for the Battle of Tours was because of 21 years’ worth of conquests in Europe by the Muslim army which began in 711. The Muslims went into Gaul, which was Frankish territory for military voyages. There were many military campaigns by the Muslims when they voyaged north in Europe, including: an attack on Autun and a battle at Bordeaux. The Muslims had planned to go to Tours and destroy the church of St Martin.
What does this battle tell us about the style of fighting at the time?
Sadly not much is known about the battle but it is said that the Frankish army stood still, not backing down as the Islamic army advanced towards them. During this time, this tactic was common for the Frankish army to use, Gathering in a large force so there was only one strong point to attack and not several weaker points. The Frankish lords and higher ranked officers would have been fighting on horse back while they were reinforced by many poorly equipped infantry soldiers fighting with spears, swords and bows. The Islamic army at the time fought mainly on horseback and that was their specialty. The light cavalry used by the Islamic army was their best tactic but the Frankish heavy cavalry was too strong. Both armies had similar fighting styles and tactics and both were thought to have fought in unorganized battles just charging into the fight.
What broader effects did the battle have?
After the defeat of the Muslim army at the Battle of Tours, they stopped advancing in Europe. If they had won the Battle of Tours, a lot of people today would be Muslim. This is because if the Umayyad army did win they would have continued to advance in Europe and conquer countries which would have led to the people in these countries to become of Muslim religion. This effectively would have meant that Europe would be of Muslim territory.
This site was helpful because it also helped me understand what happened at the Battle of Tours in which I could fill out the table in the introduction
The Battle of Tours
Who was involved in the battle?
The Frankish armyCharles Martel led the Frankish army and his army were considered the 'superior force' in Western Europe at this time. The countries in the Frankish army included France, Western Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands but for this specific battle the army consisted of mainly Germanic warriors (Martel’s usual army) and a few men from the surrounding areas.
The Islamic Army
The Muslim army also known as the Umayyad army was led by Abdur Rahman. The army was made up of soldiers from the Islamic kingdom which at the time spanned from modern day Iran, down into Saudi Arabia, across the top of North Africa and up into Spain. Abdur Rahman was not actually a General but he was the Governor of Spain and part of the ruling Caliphate (Family).
What were the background reasons for the conflict?
The background reasons for the Battle of Tours was because of 21 years’ worth of conquests in Europe by the Muslim army which began in 711. The Muslims went into Gaul, which was Frankish territory for military voyages. There were many military campaigns by the Muslims when they voyaged north in Europe, including: an attack on Autun and a battle at Bordeaux. The Muslims had planned to go to Tours and destroy the church of St Martin.What does this battle tell us about the style of fighting at the time?
Sadly not much is known about the battle but it is said that the Frankish army stood still, not backing down as the Islamic army advanced towards them. During this time, this tactic was common for the Frankish army to use, Gathering in a large force so there was only one strong point to attack and not several weaker points. The Frankish lords and higher ranked officers would have been fighting on horse back while they were reinforced by many poorly equipped infantry soldiers fighting with spears, swords and bows. The Islamic army at the time fought mainly on horseback and that was their specialty. The light cavalry used by the Islamic army was their best tactic but the Frankish heavy cavalry was too strong. Both armies had similar fighting styles and tactics and both were thought to have fought in unorganized battles just charging into the fight.What broader effects did the battle have?
After the defeat of the Muslim army at the Battle of Tours, they stopped advancing in Europe. If they had won the Battle of Tours, a lot of people today would be Muslim. This is because if the Umayyad army did win they would have continued to advance in Europe and conquer countries which would have led to the people in these countries to become of Muslim religion. This effectively would have meant that Europe would be of Muslim territory.http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=CvSbBEoBePg&vq=medium#t=480
Bibliography
- "Battle of Tours." Britannica . Online. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/600883/Battle-of-Tours> 10 September 2012.
This site was helpful because it helped me understand what happened at the Battle of Tours in which I could fill out the table in the introduction- "Battle of Tours." Military History. Online. <http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/tours.htm> 10 September 2012.
This site was helpful because it also helped me understand what happened at the Battle of Tours in which I could fill out the table in the introduction- "Battle of Tours (732 A.D.)." The Latin Library. Online. <http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/notes/tours.html> 10 September 2012.
This site was helpful because it helped me answer question 4.- Marshall, Chris. Warfare in the Medieval World. Austin, USA: Raintree Steck-Vaughn , 1999.
This book was helpful because it had information for all the questions- "Medieval Sourcebook: Arabs, Franks, and the Battle of Tours, 732: Three Accounts."Fordham University. Online. July 1998 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/732tours.asp> 10 September 2012.
This site was helpful because it had three different authors talk about what the two armies we doing and planning.- Nicholson, Helen. Medieval Warfare. New York: Palgrave Macmillan , 2004.
This book was helpful because it helped me fill in the table at the top of the page- "The Battle of Tours: 732." Then Again. Online. <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/tours.html> 10 September 2012.
This site was helpful because it told me what the Franks were doing and how they fought in the war- "The Battle of Tours." Wikipedia. Online. 14 September 2012 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tours> 14 September 2012
This site helped me answer the second question about the background of the battle.- "Thames and Hudson Australia." Thames and Hudson. Online. <http://thameshudson.com.au/> 16 September 2012.
This website was helpful because it gave information about the types of soldiers that fought in the battle- "Islamic Empire Map." Muslim Conquests. Online. 10/8/12 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquests> 16 September2012.The map of the Islamic empire was from his website
- Black, Jeremy. The Seventy Great Battles of All Time. London: Thames and Hudson, 2006.
This book was helpful because it gave lots of information about the type of people fighting and how they fought- Holmes, Richard. The World Atlas of Warfare. New York: Viking Penguin INC, 2005.
This book was helpful because it had some information about the style of fighting that happened in this battle.